


The Beginning of an End That Meant Everything.

by NiightCrayon



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, M/M, alchohol, alchoholism, be warned, love my boys, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 00:14:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17355308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NiightCrayon/pseuds/NiightCrayon
Summary: They lived like this; soft and alone. It had been months since Hal’s move; adjustment was difficult. Most words were in whispers or short sentences to keep the peace around them. Hal often wondered why David refused to speak louder at home, mostly keeping noises to hushed volumes or soft grunts. One morning, with the snow casting a hushed tint of light throughout the house, Hal discovers something he was not meant to see.





	The Beginning of an End That Meant Everything.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I’m trying to write again to hopefully get out some stress lately. I’m super inspired by my amazing girlfriend, so please check out her vkaz mgs fic she spent lots of time on! You won’t regret it! 
> 
> Her username is @shorknados , and she also beta read this! She truly is wonderful!
> 
> Hopefully this fills y’all up with fuzzies because that was my intention!!

The sunlight drifts softly through the room, no curtains to soften the rays. Hal awakens to the sight; his blanket having shifted overnight, only covering half a leg, the cold breeze sweeping upon his midriff and grazing his bare feet. Sitting beside the couch were the dogs; there were many of them, gentle in demeanor and only harsh on command. The room was the same as always; bare decoration. Only an older birch bookshelf containing scattered classic novels, and the fireplace crackling in Hal’s ears a few feet ahead of him were visible.  
Hal blinked once- twice actually, just to get focused. As he turned sideways to prepare for awakening, chestnut came into few as he pushed his messy hair aside. He sat up and reached towards the other end of the couch for his glasses. The cold smooth texture from the frames was familiar and seemed to wake him more as he slid them on.

They truly lived like this; tenuous and isolated. It had been several months since Hal’s move. Adjustment was difficult, and most words were in whispers or quiet sentences to keep the peace around them. Hal often wondered why David refused to speak louder at home, mostly keeping noises to hushed words or soft grunts. The dogs became similar- rarely barking unless spotting anything potentially harmful. The harsh light that once came from the windows disappeared, the glass now only dispersing a muted light coated with a frosty tint.  
Hal’s feet graced upon the cold dusted grey floorboards, and his mind was made up.  
Maybe today I’ll let myself drink some of that coffee we have left.  
Their supply was low, and since neither of the two went into town often , David mumbling on how the town is too loud and Hal stating he had far too much work for daily outings like that. Their small cottage sized home remained generally empty. Even so, Hal muffled his feet on his way to their small kitchen, using smell rather then memory to dictate the coffees location.  
Upon arrival at the correct cabinet Hal reached up towards the highest cupboard, a typical location for storage rather than usage. There was something off, however. Hals eyes drifted leftwards, now staring at a different, slightly opened cupboard that hung above their refrigerator. Odd, Hal never remembered David ever touching that cabinet, or opening it himself. It’s door was still cracked open, and since he hadn’t touched it, he could only presume that David had left it open.. Curiosity filled his brain, causing all other thoughts of fresh coffee or peaceful naive mornings to drift away from mind as his hand switched places, a questioning conscious controlling his actions.  
His head barely peeked over the fridge, even on the tips of his toes, but nonetheless he managed to peer into the mysterious cabinet. At first, Hal didn’t see anything- just shadows along the walls. However, in the far back corner there lay a bottle of some sort- Hal could at least guess that from its round shape and small glint of light reflecting off its surface. Anything glass meant it could be broken easily, so typically the two of them tried to keep their household objects wood or metal.; it meant a safer bet that any break-in would cause less havoc. The only exception were the matching glassware mugs the two of them got- Hals read ‘I’m the Geek’ while Davids read ‘I’m the Jock’. Hal bought it for them as little gifts; those mugs specifically since their decorative inscriptions had gotten David to softly laugh, and Hal believed that such a miracle deserved some sort of memoir.  
Extending his arm to the far back corner, his fingers slid upon clear glassware until a solid grip could be established and immediately reeling his arm back for closer inspection. Hal, however, was not expecting the basic yellow label to read what it did.  
It had four large red X’s, and under it, in even larger white letters, it read ‘GOLD’, signifying a common type of Australian liquor. The bottle was full, thankfully, but Hal was not pleased. He only ever had one conversation with David about his previous drinking habits. That conversation ended very unpleasantly, to say the least. Hal remembered their voices slowly raising from above their normal, abiet odd, whisper, untilDavid had yelled, louder then he had ever been inside of their home, that he would stop drinking if it mean ‘this conversation’ would finally end. They never touched on the subject again, tip toeing around the topic ever so lightly.  
Hands quickly tightened around the bottle, aggressively yet carefully setting it back into the cabinet above the fridge. Hal had hoped their loud conversations had ended with that one. . That this peaceful nothingness existing between them would continue in blissful ignorance, yet here he was. Standing in their kitchen, on the precipice of that bliss.. Feeling nothing but the weight in his chest grow, causing his soul to plummet into a pit of dread..This empty feeling of sorrowful grievance for peace came back, a parasite attaching to his body. Hal's feet carried him to the other door and out of the kitchen, leading directly to the bedroom hallway.  
That same soul which began to drag across the floor, dread leaking from its every pore, had him currently facing Davids closed bedroom door. Ears peaked up and Hal began to hear an almost aggressive breathing coming from the other side.  
Hal wondered if it was any of his business.  
They were living together, sharing each other’s lives.  
Hal knew the living situation was for work purposes, but he would always wonder if there was room for more.  
Such wandering thoughts caused his heart to beat faster, stretching his hand out and grasping the polished doorknob.  
With a quick flick of his wrist, he forced the door open, revealing a sight for seemingly poor eyes. Hal felt a chillas the temperature in the room almost seemed to drop to degrees similar of the outer bare Alaskan woods.  
David sat curled in the back left corner of the room, atop his crooked bed, a seemingly empty bottle in hand. His other hand gripped the back of his neck, his head pushed against his knees. Beside him lay two more bottles, one completely empty and the other three quarters full. Hal almost shut the door on sight.  
But it was too late- the second the door swung open and cracked against the wall, an excessively loud noise echoing in their small abode, David's head snapped upwards, eyes making contact with Hal.  
David didn’t look surprised- just frozen. And red. Not from the drinking. Not from the cold.  
Hal stared back, throat drying upon the sight of David's eyes. He promised himself not to let David get this way again. Knowing David had been this vulnerable so often before tore quietly at him inside.  
It stayed like this. Quiet. Two men sharing a moment of utmost secrecy and sharing something completely varying from trust- separation.  
“...S...Snake I-”  
“Shut the door.”  
Davids voice stayed in the usually softened murmur, but with a more rough undertone then usual. What’s worse was that Hal almost considered complying to his statement- to just shut the door and disregard this newfound separation, agreeing to not get any closer. He almost considered it.  
“Snake...you know I can’t do that,” He said soft and hushed.  
Softer than snow, or the huskies laying in front of the fireplace.  
Softer than bliss, a scene cuddled amongst blankets with a single mug of comforting roasted coffee.  
David, at first, didn’t react at all. A typical demeanor coming from him. However, after another minute of this deafening silence, David pushed forward and up, beginning to walk slowly towards the door in an almost shuffling motion. He was definitely nowhere near drunk, but Hal could tell. He was getting there.  
Now in front of him, David jerked his hand to grab the door, and moved quickly to shut it tight.  
“Snake wait, don’t do that! It’s okay, we can figure this-”  
Hal was frozen, and even when his minds clockwork began motion, his efforts were tossed away as the door shut with a dull thud and the clanking metal of a locked latch could be heard. His outreaching hands thudded against wood, pressing lightly onto it in quiet defiance.  
Hal could barely make out footsteps beyond the door- if the house hadn’t been so silent, he was sure he wouldn’t be able to hear them at all.  
His hands began dragging downwards, demonstrating the similar reaction his thoughts were carrying. Slow and unrecognizable.  
“P...Please Snake. We can figure it out. It won’t be like last time, okay? It doesn’t have to be- just, please unlock the door Snake,”  
Yet again, an answer seemed beyond reasoning, and the silence continued it’s soft tone of nothingness. Hal slowly began to bang on the door, but in his efforts to try, it ended up becoming a calm knocking more than anything else.  
“I know it’s been hard… I’m sure having me around hasn’t helped either. But we promised to each other that neither of us would do this, Snake! We said that it wouldn’t get to this! But…it has… and you didn’t even try to talk to me? How are we supposed to continue working with each other if all you do is hide from me like this, Snake!?  
“This isn’t a battlefield… and this isn’t some kind of top secret mission to keep your emotions at bay! That’s not how humans are supposed to work, Snake!”  
Hal stopped for a moment when the heavy breathing David had been emanating had stopped, and for a short moment he wondered if the other had fallen asleep or passed out.  
“Listen… Snake, I never said you had to like me. But we agreed to work together, and that means putting in our all. Even when everything from Shadow Moses comes back to me, I’ve never kept it a secret. And I kept going. But that just means you have to put in your all, too.  
“You don’t have to do that for everybody, okay? You can put up fronts on the battlefield, in front of the enemy, in front of the Colonel, god dammit Snake you can even put up these stupid façades in front of your teammates-”  
Hal wondered if David was even listening, if the drops cascading down his face were for any good, or if his shaking voice even mattered.. But dammit Hal was too mad to even consider stopping now, and far too deep in an effortless conversation to consider the consequences of his words.  
“Just… please Snake… don’t put up this wall at home.I-I’ll leave. I’ll leave and never come back if that’s what it takes for you to man up and face it all! Don’t hide like this! It’s… it’s not what you would do,”  
Words stopped flowing- he was afraid of what would come next. Maybe something necessarily dangerous or maybe dangerously unnecessary. Before any words or thoughts could even form in his mind, his hands dropped from the wooden bedroom door to his sides, David’s voice croaked from beyond the impenetrable wall.  
“You don’t know what I would do,”  
A beat.  
“Beyond the battlefield, it’s not the same, Otacon. I’m not Snake, but I’m not anything else either. Off the battlefield, I’m …”  
Another beat, but this time followed by Hals softened voice,  
“Nothing. I get it Snake, you become nothing. But it’s not true-”  
“Otacon, you don’t know what’s true and what isn’t-”  
“Then what am I supposed to know Snake?! If I don’t know the goddamn truth, than what is there left to care for?! You’re the one forcing yourself to live with all these shitty lies, David.”  
The name shift caused an uncomfortable feeling to drift throughout the air, suffocating Hal's lungs with dread and guilt. Guilt of angrily spouting out emotions; consequences be damned, and guilt of a melancholy repression of what’s left in mentality.  
“Just… tell yourself what’s happening. If nobody else, tell yourself. Stop hiding.,”  
The guilt was swallowed deep into their consciousnesses, each feeling a sorrow and pity- but a pity only towards themselves.  
Shuffling noises could be distinguished beyond the door, and Hal waited. He waited desperately. He waited with his whole soul, which rose from his body, and leaned to press his forehead against the door itself. Longing for unity.  
The shuffling became louder until it halted before the door, a shadow upon the ground laying underneath the door. Hal waited patiently.  
The door slowly opens, revealing David in his ruggedly large sweatered glory, Hal's eyes only rose to meet the others. They stared, and shared a soft glance. Hal stood and stepped forward.  
The embrace that followed meant much more than a connection; it meant a promise, and it meant the truth. A truth desperately found as Hal murmured ‘if you can do this, we can do this’, followed by David’s tighter grip around Hal in acknowledgment, and the nod in the crook of his neck was more than necessary for thanks.  
They stood like that, tranquility surrounding them.  
An embrace of promise.  
The beginning of an end that meant everything.


End file.
